How to Burn Body Fat without Feeling Deprived

June 5, 2012 by admin

We’ve talked a lot about the physical activity and the dietary changes you must make in order to lose weight, but let’s turn our attention to the emotional aspect of weight loss. Do you need to know ?

For many people, weight loss isn’t even as much about eating right or moving more, but about developing the right attitude. This can be the key to losing weight, whether you are just starting your weight loss journey or you’re trying to lose those stubborn last 10 pounds.

How can you keep from feeling deprived? Read on for the top 3 ways to stay motivated as you burn body fat:

Take Before, During, and After Photos

Often, weight loss is so subtle, it’s hard to see the difference in your body over time.

It’s only when you run into someone you haven’t seen in a while, and hear them say, “Wow, you look great!” that you feel some sort of gratification for all your hard work.

That’s why taking before, during, and after photos are so important. In photographs, you’ll be able to see what the scale can’t show: how well your clothes fit, how thin your face and neck are getting, or how your posture and carriage have improved over the course of your weight loss journey. Without photographic evidence of your weight loss, it’s easy to get discouraged. And discouragement can lead you to fall off the wagon.

Give Yourself Rewards

It’s important to set goals throughout your journey, not just a final weight loss goal. Set up mini-milestones at every 5-pound interval, and give yourself small, healthy rewards at each one.

Some great ideas for rewards include: new workout music, clothing, spa services, books and magazines, or even a well-deserved nap. You should also reward yourself big-time for your final goal: think shopping sprees, weekend getaways, and other huge payoffs that will keep you motivated.

Post a list of your rewards where you can see it every day, and you will surely stay on track to earn those fabulous prizes.

Eat a Diet Rich in MUFAs

Your body can actually trigger a biochemical response if you are fat-deprived. This trigger can cause you to binge eat, consuming all the wrong foods for weight loss. Contrary to what you’ve heard over the years, you have to eat fat to lose weight. It’s important, though, to eat the right types of fat.

A diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) will help you burn fat and feel satiated at the same time. MUFAs are commonly found in avocadoes, olive oil, and raw nuts. They are essential to any healthy diet and keep you from feeling deprived, so you can lose weight without feeling deprived.

You will have to work on the emotional aspect of weight loss every day, along with the physical. It’s as much about changing your mind as how to burn body fat. Using these simple motivational tools, you can achieve your weight loss goals with much more ease.

Weight Loss

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Vicious cycle of over-eating and feeling depressed explained

ScienceDaily (May 23, 2012) — Fat Bastard's revelation "I eat because I'm depressed and I'm depressed because I eat" in the Austin Powers film series may be explained by sophisticated neuroscience research being undertaken by scientists affiliated with the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CR-CHUM) and the university's Faculty of Medicine. "In addition to causing obesity, rich foods can actually cause chemical reactions in the brain in a similar way to illicit drugs, ultimately leading to depression as the 'come-downs' take their toll," explain lead researcher, Dr. Stephanie Fulton.

See Also:Health & MedicineObesityDiet and Weight LossNutritionMind & BrainDepressionNutrition ResearchDieting and Weight ControlLiving WellReferenceSouth Beach dietSaturated fatGluten-free, casein-free dietDetox diet

As is the case with drug addicts, a vicious cycle sets in where "food-highs" are used as a way to combat depression. "Data shows that obesity is associated with increased risk of developing depression, but we have very little understanding of the neural mechanisms and brain reward patterns that link the two," Fulton said. "We are demonstrating for the first time that the chronic consumption of palatable, high-fat diets has pro-depressive effects."

A molecule in the brain known as dopamine enables the brain to rewards us with good feelings, encouraging us to learn certain kinds of behaviour. This chemical is the same in humans as it is in mice and other animals. The research team feed mice different kinds of food and monitored how the diet affects the way the animals behave. Fulton and her colleagues use a variety of scientifically validated techniques to evaluate the relationship between rewarding mice with food and their resulting behaviour and emotions. The team is also contributing to the improvement of these techniques, such as the one demonstrated in the video. Later, the team actually looks at the brains of the mice to see how they have changed.

Mice that have been fed a higher-fat diet exhibit signs of being anxious, such as an avoidance of open areas, and of being depressed, such as making less of an effort to escape when trapped. Moreover, their brains have been physically altered by their experiences. For example, CREB is a molecule that controls the activation of genes involved in the functioning of our brains and is well known for its contribution to memory formation. CREB is much more activated in the brains of higher-fat diet mice. Finally, these mice have higher levels of corticosterone, a hormone that is associated with stress.

Fulton and her team are part of a research network that is working together to address the biological reasons for obesity and its related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and of course depression. She is based at the Montreal Diabetes Centre, an institution associated with the CHUM and four Montreal universities that brings together facilities for clinical research, cell biology and microscopy research, and rodent physiology research, such as that involved in the depression study.

"Although popular culture jokes about these illnesses and even mocks the people who are suffering, obesity is a serious and major public health issue that already affects hundreds of millions of people. As a society, we must avoid creating stigma and discriminating against obese and depressed people," Fulton said. "With regards to research, it is urgent that we identify the molecules and neural pathways involved in obesity and obesity-related illnesses. My colleagues and I are committed to identifying the brain circuitry involved in these diseases and to improving the tools available to researchers working in the same field."

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